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Snippet England are the favourites to win the competition and are expected to get off to a winning start in the Italian capital England kick off their Six Nations campaign with a trip to Rome to face off against Italy on Sunday. Eddie Jones' men are the favourites to retain their crown and become the first team in history to win it three times on the bounce. Wales and Ireland got their championships off to the perfect start on Saturday when they defeated Scotland and France respectively. It should be the same story for England, who are overwhelming favourites to waltz past an improving Italian side, setting them on their way to a potential final weekend decider with Ireland at Twickenham. Ben Te’o returns from the injury wilderness to start for England as Jones looks to add punch to his midfield, with power ball carriers Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes both lost to injuries of their own. Dylan Hartley retains the captaincy and wins his 90th cap. Ben Youngs starts his 56th Test match - overtaking Matt Dawson’s record of most starts for an England halfback. Follow all the action as it happens below... Key Events Italy looking for a way through but England defending well Kick from Italy puts England under pressure. Mike Brown covers well but England now camped inside their own third. Miss! Farrell strikes his conversion off the post Owen Farrell with a chance to convert here 15:04KEY EVENT TRY! England have taken the lead early on here. A sweeping move out to the right found Anthony Watson who carries it over the line for the try. Off we go We are underway! A bit of a bobbly kick-off, but here we go. On a side note, Alessandro Zanni makes his 100th appearance for Italy here today. He’s been given a rapturous reception at the Olympic Stadium. (Image: REUTERS) Anthems done and we are set to go! Sergio Parisse looks as intense as always, but he knows he has got his work cut out if Italy are going to get anything out of this. Italy definitely win the anthems competition - they were louder and prouder than England! Teams on the pitch The teams are on their way out onto the pitch. It’s a packed stadium here in Rome, as the locals get set for the opening game. National anthems are set to take place, then the action begins! Talking point 5: Azzurri making progress? Conor O’Shea has entered the second year of his reign as Italy coach and while it remains early days, it is hoped this championship will show signs of his ambition to bring greater levels of professionalism to the national team. Their place in the Six Nations remains assured despite calls for relegation, but their record of 12 bottom-place finishes in 18 tournaments is a statistic that must be improved. Meanwhile, we are just 10 minutes away from kick-off. (Image: AFP) Talking point 4: Bonus points bonanza Italy can be dangerous opening day opponents, ready to spring a surprise when they are at their freshest and least affected by injury. England are odds on favourites to leave Rome with a victory from their title defence opener, but in a Six Nations widely tipped to be among the closest yet, securing the bonus point could be critical. (Image: Europe) Sam Underhill warms up before the match (Image: REUTERS) Talking point 3: Mischief making Azzurri Jones has described Italy as “mischievous” when reflecting on what they might have up their sleeves on Sunday.